By Lola Seriki-Idahosa, kaduna
Tracereporters –Agro-Processing Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support Project (APPEALS Project) has flag-off the distribution of Seed Agro-Chemicals and Equipment to Ginger Farmers in Southern Kaduna.
The distribution which took place in Kachia Local Government Area, was held on the 13th October.
In his address, the state project Coordinator Kaduna APPEALS Project Dr. Yahaya Aminu said ginger farmers got the terrible challenge on their various farm produce in this year farming season and support should be given to jinger them, to support the farmers with input in the next farming season to avert such.
According to him, “what happens to the ginger farmers directly affects the state and the country in general,
He said that the state has been witnessing tremendous increase in the production of ginger in the state in the past years but that the present of the fungal this year affected virtually all the ginger farms in the state.
Dr. Yahaya Aminu however appealed to the ginger farmers to use the seed, Agro-Chemicals and the equipment well, adding that things distributed includes 700 bags of ginger seeds, 205 cartoon of Agro-Chemicals and 85 sprayers.
In her speech, the Deputy Governor of Kaduna state, Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, represented by the deputy chief of staff Barrister James Atung Kanyip said she feel the pain of the ginger farmers,
According to her, about 95 percent of the ginger products destroyed worth ten billion naira.
She commnended the intervention by APPEALS to ginger farmers in Southern Kaduna.
In his remarks, the Commissioner of Agriculture, Kaduna state Murtala Mohammed Dabo said he feels good seeing support from APPEALS to his people.
He recalled that the strange disease suspected to be fungal infection affected their ginger production , leaving them with a huge loss.
Also speaking at the event, the district head of Kachia, Sabiu Suleiman said ginger is like oil to them and commended APPEALS for the distribution.
Said he, “this season has really affected our production, I urge for more ginger seed, Agro-Chemicals and sprayers, this ones will not be enough for our ginger farmers”.
He said transactions of billions of naira are recorded between the farmers, buyers and middlemen from April to November every year,”
Ginger from Kagarko, Jaba and Kachia LGAs in southern Kaduna, is also reputed to be the world’s best.
To combat the disease, which started in July, some of the farmers said they had applied insecticides/pesticides they knew but their efforts did not yield any meaningful results as the pest continued destroying their farms.
The disease that is ravaging ginger farms in southern Kaduna is strange and was noticed in the first week of July and has raised a lot of questions among the farmers.
The disease affects the leaves and also the ginger roots (rhizomes).
It starts its attack on the leaves of the ginger plant and after two to three days the whole leaves will turn yellow and begin to decay.
